Aviarying and Lanterning

Yesterday, thanks to our extra vehicle (my boss, Lisa, graciously lends us her Toyota Highlander hybrid when she goes out of town), Olive and I went down to the National Aviary to visit Rob on his rare lunch break. Often he's too busy to stop to eat, plowing through nine straight hours of bird-tending, so we were fortunate to enjoy some of his spare time with him. I'll say it again: the aviary is way cool. I particularly enjoy the Wetlands exhibit - and this specimen especially:

Back on the home front I've been working on doctoring up things a bit. I finished painting the living room, though I ran out of paint and will eventually give some areas a second coat. A couple of eBay finds, some paper lanterns, arrived a few days ago, so I went last night to the Home Depot to pick up some wiring components so I could rig up the big boy over our dinging table. I'd nearly forgotten how much I love electrical wiring projects - the snipping and the splicing to create your desired lighting arrangement. This will be a pleasant alternative to the awful overheat light fixture in the room: a trio of energy-efficient bulbs encased in a brass cage circa 1977. I'm all for using those bulbs and saving dough when my Duquesne Light bills come 'round, but have no desire to ever lay eyes on them; they're uglier a dog with mange.

Next on the home improvement agenda: painting the kitchen Scotland Isle and the bedroom Japanese Maple (or green and plum in layman's terms).